


starting point

by Mitzuna



Series: Failed Plans AU [1]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Bill is now stuck as a human, Canon Divergence, Human Bill Cipher, Own Au, and Soos and Wendy, as in Weirdmageddon never happened, failed plans AU, later on in the series there might be Billdip, mentions of the whole Pines family, no relationships in this one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-02
Updated: 2016-09-02
Packaged: 2018-08-12 13:28:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7936462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mitzuna/pseuds/Mitzuna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bill Cipher wanted to kill the Pines family. He would love to torture them slowly until they were barely coherent and begging him for mercy. They were to blame for his current disposition, trapped in a puny human body, nearly powerless to boot. He was hungering for revenge ever since those damned meatsacks managed to thwart his plans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	starting point

**Author's Note:**

> This story is the first part of what I call the failed plans AU (if you didn’t notice that I’m totally uncreative with names, you know now). It has a rather generic story: Bill was confined to a human body and has to work in the Mystery Shack. He never got the rift and never unleashed Weirdmageddon, because the Pines stopped him. So of course he wouldn’t be all to happy about it, although he adapted fairly quickly after realizing that he wouldn’t last long on his own.  
> This one here will provide some background to it all.  
> It may develop into a Billdip AU someday, if I ever write some more for it, but for now all interactions are platonic, if you can even call it that (with Bill being not so approachable at the moment). If I would ever get this far, it would need some character development and for now I haven’t even really planned anything with this, so… we’ll see.

Bill Cipher wanted to kill the Pines family. He would love to torture them slowly until they were barely coherent and begging him for mercy. They were to blame for his current disposition, trapped in a puny human body, nearly powerless to boot. He was hungering for revenge ever since those damned meatsacks managed to thwart his plans. 

The demon still didn’t know how Shooting Star looked through his disguise. It couldn’t have been the eyes, he was careful to cover them with those dumb googles and made sure they would reflect the low sunlight to further veil their unnatural colour. He must have underestimated her empathic abilities, for as soon as he seemed too eager to get his hands on the rift, she reconsidered. And even though his borrowed puppet had longer legs than her, she knew better how to use them and slipped away. Somehow the girl must have also warned Sixer and Pine Tree, because as he reached the Pines’ home base, they were already expecting him.   
Everything after that was still a blur.  
The only thing Bill could vaguely remember, was being confined to a three-dimensional vessel. Which wouldn’t have been so bad, because although he would have never chosen an ugly human meatsack for a body, it was still part of his master plan to obtain one. No, the worst thing was the limit they imposed on his nearly infinite powers. The agony of being ripped off his magical abilities, leaving them locked somewhere deep within the mindscape, where he had barely any access and was unable to use them properly. Gone within a flash, only a slow trickle providing the slightest amount of his former might. Sometimes he still felt phantom pains of the process late at night, as he laid awake in bed trying to remeber more, leaving his entire body in bouts of pins and needles, making it nearly impossible for him to move. Maybe if Bill could just recognize the spell, the binding circle or whatever, he could find a way to undo this mess.

The first weeks in his new flesh prison were spent in constant observation. Not like that was a complex task for the Pines. While possessing a vessel, he still had the body’s muscle memory to rely on and help him with coordinating movement. He felt like an utter idiot the first few times he tried to walk, stumbling about and crashing into things left and right. Bill at least hoped he managed to destroy something expensive or important in his wake. Not to mention that he sorely lacked energy and only got to take a few tentative steps, before crashing down and having to rest. The demon surely wasn’t doing himself any favours in refusing food and water for a while, but he didn’t want to accept anything his prison guards were trying to give him.   
He also avoided talking to anyone, especially the Pines.   
Question Mark and Ice were easy to ignore, as they only very rarely had to keep an eye on him and not the shop. And even then they tried to ignore him by doing housework or reading magazines, clearly nervous in his presence and not knowing how to handle it.   
Shooting Star mostly kept her distance whenever it was her turn to watch him and he could still see the fear, the guilt in her eyes, imagining the possible outcome if she had accepted his deal and given in. Bill could see her try to hide behind a mask of false cheerfulness, her overly sweet voice grating on his nerves. Even trough his silence, she still tried to get him to talk, to react in any way, but with time he could see her lose her fervor. Maybe it was his piercing stare that disheartened her, but what else was he to do than wait and stare?   
Pine Tree at least didn’t pretend like he wanted anything to do with the demon and most of the time avoided even looking at him, mostly sitting there and reading. Still Bill could sometimes see the curiosity in his gaze, the boy catching a short glimpse at him, when he thought his enemy wouldn’t notice. Always searching for answers, wanting to know more, more, more. But maybe remembering how he was already tricked once by sweet promises, prevented him from talking. Their time was mostly spent in silence, which he couldn’t say for Sixer’s turns.   
The six-fingered freak was the worst, trying to antagonize him to get information. He seemed to think just beause they bested him once, he would be susceptible to taunts and empty threats. At least it never got boring once his turn came around, old Sixer always thinking of new ways to break his resolve, always failing.   
Maybe the least annoying was old Fez. While he also tried to get him to talk, it stayed at one try per visit. Afterwards he would just do his business, not really ignoring Bill (for he still noticed every motion the demon did) but also not trying to engage him. Which was a good thing, for as soon as the kids left and Sixer most likely spend most of his waking time in the shack’s basement, it was more often than not Fez’s turn to make sure their prisoner didn’t do anything disastrous. It also meant getting more accustomed to walking around, as the old man couldn’t spend the whole day watching him in his prison cell because he still had “to make the money in this house” and instead took him on his tours.

While they both didn’t think he’d notice, Bill was well aware how this led to an enormous argument between the two brothers. The shack’s walls were paper-thin and if you had nothing better to do, listening to the world around you may lead to overhearing interesting things. To the observant eye it was crystal clear that Sixer wanted his twin gone, a long history of miscommunication and stubborn attitudes estranging the brothers seemingly beyond repair. So while the brainiac would love to kick the other out, he had three big problems, that Fez was only all to gleeful to remind him of: For one, how would he watch their unwilling guest if he didn’t want him anywhere near his studies but needed to be in the basement laboratory to work? He couldn’t trust just anyone to keep the demon in check, just explaining the situation would only lead to trouble. Also, how did he think to pay for food and bills? After getting the shack build in Gravity Falls and not having any income during his research time, he hadn’t really amassed a lot of money to rely on, so while he could cope for a while with the last of his savings, it wouldn’t get him through for long.   
But most important: what would he tell the younger twins? That he couldn’t cope with his own brother being in the same house, even after everything he did to bring him back? Did he really want to seem like an ungrateful geezer to the only family he had any relationship to right now? After all he couldn’t very well just start anouncing his mysterious reapperance after being gone for years, stating he had just been in “another dimension”.   
It was quiet after that for a while. When they started to talk again it was too quiet for him to understand anything, but the must have come to a conclusion. The next moring the demon was greeted with a disgruntled Fez, telling him to get a move on, as he didn’t have the whole day to waste.

The first week after that had been utterly humiliating for Bill. A few minutes were all it took for his legs to tremble and his body to waver. His determination and stubbornness were the only factors keeping him on his feet until the first tour of the day was over. He felt weak and continued to shiver lightly after his loss of energy left him stuck on a stool in the shop area, where Ice and Question Mark could watch over him. As if he was a threat in this state. He could feel their pitying stares, while his own gaze was stuck on the floor, his blood boiling in rage and embarrassment. Oh, how he wanted to rip out their eyes and stuff them down their throats, muffling their screams with his bare hands. Again the demon was stuck with being confined to a small place, not really able to do anything.   
The start of change had surprisingly been a conversation he overheard in the shop, of all things. While he didn’t remember the details, after all, who would care about the problems these pathetic meatsacks had, there was one phrase stuck in his head afterwards, making him reconsider his strategy. “One should choose the battles worth fighting for.” Just one of those nonsense lines, humans sometimes spewed out to make themselves seem wise and knowledgeable. But somehow the words kept ringing in his head, they wouldn’t leave him alone. All the time he had refused accepting any pity from his jailers, be it material or in gestures, he had been using his own power to balance the loss it brought him. He had spent his already limited energy on keeping his body in shape, as he hadn’t been taking the nutrients a human would need to survive. Did he really want to waste anymore of his resources? He kept thinking about it the rest of the day, not even staring down noisy customers until they shut their trap as he would normally do in a fit of annoyance and boredom. It was this evening, to the surprise of anyone else, that he started eating the food they had been offering all along.

With this decision things started to look up for Bill. It didn’t take long for him to feel stronger and he was able to stay on his feet longer and longer with each passing day. Even though he still couldn’t get this damned human body to do what he wanted it to, he soon didn’t need the stool in the shop anymore. And with this progress he began to plan anew. The demon was well aware that he was being kept under close watch, what with him being mobile but still silent and uncooperative, so he bid his time and didn’t cause any confusion. Yet. It would do him no good if he was constantly locked away in his room (like they started to do at nights), unable to climb through barred windows and closed doors. For now he would play docile, lay low and wait for his opportunity to strike.  
It only took another week of waiting. Over the past weeks he kept getting stronger and stronger, even to the point where he started to store bits of his energy away instead of using it, building up an reservoire of magical power. He knew, that the twins were getting increasingly suspicious, distrusting his calm attitude. He could feel an oncoming storm brewing in the confines of the Mystery Shack. It had to be now. It was clear, if he wanted to give the Pines the slip, he had to create a distraction. Without the advantage of a decent headstart, he wouldn’t get far enough, as he still had trouble moving this body like it should. They would catch him before he could enjoy his freedom, drag him back and keep him under lock and key. No, he would have to be stealthy, escape without being noticed and make the distance between himself and the Myster Shack as big as possible. When the moment came, he didn’t think twice.   
It was perfect. Fez had already started a tour and would be somewhere deep within the fake attractions part of the shack, not even seeing what was coming. Question Mark was busy doing repairs in the bathroom, fixing a leaking pipe after one of those annoying miniature meatsacks had kicked it. That only left him with Ice to distract. A little push of magic made the tourist browsing through the snowglobes trip on air and smash right into the shelves full of fragile and overprized souveniers. The ensuing chaos was beautiful, but he couldn’t really enjoy it for long, if he wanted this to work. In the subsequent commotion, he simply left through the front door, making sure not to slam it on his way out, so nobody would notice his departure.

As he reached a small clearing in the forest, at least a mile away from the shack, he stopped and laughed and it felt like an eternity before he calmed down. He was free, away from those blabbering humans, alone at last. He knew he should increase the distance more, otherwise there was still the chance of being found, but right now he would just bask in the feeling. His stomach began to rumble and he just patted it to quieten it down. That would also be a problem he had to face, as he didn’t think to steal any provisions from the shack. Hopefully on the way he could find some berries or mushrooms, weren’t those things humans ate? Or maybe acorns? He blinked as water droplets hit his face and looked up into the sky, heavy and dark with clouds. First he would need to find shelter, which wouldn’t be too hard as he still knew this forest like the back of his mind. The rain would also take care of any tracks he left behind, further hightening his chances of escape.   
The next best shelter wasn’t too far away and he even found some ripe berries on the way. Bill had carried them within the fabric of his shirt, staining it red and making parts of it stick to his skin. Now that the rain couldn’t reach him anymore, he ate them one by one, enjoying their bitter-sweet taste. It wasn’t anything like the meals he had gotten at the shack, but he had a relatively good amount of energy stored. At the worst he could maintain his body with magic for a while, although the demon didn’t want to rely on that too much, not knowing how long it would last him. Right now it was futile to go further and search for a better, maybe more permanent cave (as this one was quite small and would never be wide enough to get a fire going at a safe distance) what with the rain pelting icy water from above. So he curled up in a ball, willing himself to sleep to hopefully get a good start in the morning, energized and rested.

Well, seemingly the universe hated him. He awoke in the middle of the night, groaning and with a gurgling stomach. Something had to be wrong, your gut normally shouldn’t make sounds like that, right? As he tried to sit up, a pain shot through his abdominal area, muscles contracting and shivering. Was his vessel faulty? Did he miss something? He knew the feeling of hunger as his magic hadn’t been enough sometimes to sustain his body, leaving him with an empty feeling and nausea the first few days in this human body. What could this all be about, he had only been eating the berries he found on the way… The berries. He remembered that meatsacks were strangely picky about their meals, cooking and boiling and frying things. That there were also some foodstuff clearly avoided, either because of the taste or because of poison. He growled and rammed his hand against a wall. Of course, he must have taken poisonous fruits, that would also explain how they hadn’t been taken by some dumb animal, yet. Simply because contrary to himself, animals instinctually knew, what was better left alone. With that knowledge he sent a trail of his magic, probing his insides and dissolving the poison. That was just great, not only had he just lost a source of food, he had been glad to find, no, the neutralization also left a big dent in his magical reserves. He tried to curl up again, but only just now noticed how cold it had gotten. First thing in the morning, he would need to get supplies for a fire.

It must have been a week and he knew something had to change. Bill had relocated to a hidden cave that was big enough to store supplies and have a soothing fire at night, so at least he didn’t have to waste precious energy on keeping his body warm. But getting food hadn’t been easy, the demon often not knowing whether things were edible or not, if he even found something the creatures of the woods hadn’t taken yet. He had tried to capture some gnomes to use as taste testers, but after getting chased by them through seemingly half the forest and more importantly towards the Mystery Shack, he had to let them go. His stored magic had been dwindling and it was clear that it wouldn’t last him longer than another week or two. It was time to reconsider again, start a new plan. For now his main problem was the limitation of his energy. Which could be easily solved if he only knew what was done to him. Which led to problem number two, the Pines. On one hand they were the only ones aware of the spell performed on him, on the other hand also the only one capable to make his situation even worse.   
Ever since Sixer had gotten that metal plate in his skull, Bill hadn’t been able to get any read on the old man. How could he know if Sixer hadn’t anything else in store, maybe making him mortal permanently or extracting all powers from him? While the kids had been there, the demon was sure he wouldn’t risk anything too immorale or dangerous but Bill was a master of the mind. He knew what being banned from your home, stranded in an unknown place could do to the human psyche, how it could destroy a person. Maybe if Sixer would have watched him more often, he could have gotten a clue due to his mannerisms. But then why would he have hold back until the day Bill had fled? It’s not like he seemed to hold any respect for his brother and Ice and Question Mark would leave in the evening. So maybe the demon had nothing to fear in that department. But than again that could all be changed now? Bill needed some kind of guaranty of his safety if he ever wanted to go back to the shack, but how would Bill get one? He couldn’t come to a conclusion, right now. More important was to get food and he had just an idea on how to accomplish that.

Even though it was getting darker by the minute, Bill stayed mostly hidden behing trashcans in a narrow alleyway. He doubted any of the residents of Gravity Falls would ever recognize him (if they even knew him at all) but better safe than sorry, as he could never be sure that part of the Mystery Shack crew was out and about. It wouldn’t be long now before the supermarket on the other side of the street was closing, the parking lot in front hopefully clearing out as well. Taking out the security cameras and opening the lock would only take a small amount of his magic, but the loot was worth it. His actual problem wasn’t solved in any way by this, but it would buy him time to reassess and think. Already most of the customers were gone, only a lone car still standing there, waiting for its owner to return. Bill was getting a bit impatient, as his stomach was quietly growling and he didn’t want to lose any energy if a solution was only minutes away. Finally the seemingly last customer left the shop. It was Fez. Bill frantically tried to sit lower in the shadows of his hideout. He couldn’t be seen by this meatsack, it would do no good to be caught now. Or would it?

~~~

“Hey there, Fez.”  
Stanley Pines nearly dropped the paper bags he was carrying, as the rough and grating voice rang out behind him. Instead he only flinched and dropped them in the trunk of his car before turning around. Behind him stood the demon. I you saw him, you wouldn’t think this scrawny teenager to be anything else than human, even though he seemed a bit worse for wear. His clothes as well as his brown skin were scratched and dirty, his hair grimy. If Stan hadn’t seen him before and knew the truth of his origin, he might not have recognized him. But even then, the blonde’s eyes, gleaming golden in the latern’s light, were a definite clue. Stanley’s muscles tensed, although he tried to keep calm.  
“Haven’t seen you in a while, demon brat. Tried to book it out of the shack, ey?”   
The blonde demon only cocked his head and grinned, showcasting sharp teeth. Stan wasn’t really sure what to do at the moment. On one hand he could already hear his brother’s voice, shouting at him to take the chance and grab the demon, knock him out and drag him back to the shack. On the other hand, the brat must have approached him with a reason, as they hadn’t seen hide nor hair of him for six days. That didn’t necessarily mean anything good for him, but for now the brat seemed calm and it would be better to first assess the situation.   
“Let’s get to the point, what do you want?”  
Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to start the confrontation like that, but no one ever said Stanley Pines was a patient man. The corners of his opponents mouth slowly dropped, the demon fixing him with a blank stare. A shiver ran down his spine as the other stayed utterly still and he was already preparing for a fight.  
“I’ve got a preposition for you, old man. A deal, if you will.”  
Warning signals were flashing all over his mind. A deal with a demon, the dumbest thing he’d ever heard. But he was a con man himself and at least hearing him out would give him some time to formulate a plan.  
“Well, this better be good. I’m listening.”  
“I’m sure Sixer is going crazy right now. Or more crazy than he already is. Hasn’t found a way to find me, yet, this body masking anything he could try to track me with, isn’t it so?”  
Bill was slowly walking back and forth in front of Stan, his eyes never once straying from the mystery man’s face, wide open and unblinking. It send more cold shivers down his back.  
“How’s his paranoia doing? Is he already seeing my face everywhere? Fearing I might take my revenge?”  
“Damn demon, what is it!?”  
Stanley was growing angrier by the minute. Finally the demon stopped his pacing and fixing his gaze on something just over his shoulder.  
“I’m sure you’re already thinking of ways to subdue me, of dragging me back and locking me up for good. I’ll make it easy for you. There might be a way I’ll go with you on my own. Although, you understand, I have a few conditions of course.”  
With bared teeth Stan took a deep breath. Seemed like they were getting somewhere at last.  
“And what is it? What would you take for your… compliance?”  
“Let’s make it simple for you: As long as the Pines running the Mystery Shack allows me to stay, I won’t try to run or to take revenge for being bound to this meatsack. But that’s only valid as long as I’m fed, get a bed and am not harmed in any way, which also includes all experiments Sixer could ever think to run on me.”  
“No way am I ever agreeing to that. I want at least confirmation that you won’t harm us in any way for any other reason and that every injury you get without our deliberate involvement won’t break the deal.”   
Bill seemed to overthink this retort, although he didn’t look too annoyed by it.  
“You drive a hard deal, but that can be done. Anything else you’d like to add, old man?”  
That was too easy for Stan. He was sure the demon had some ulterior motives, some hidden agenda he couldn’t see yet.  
“You will have to work for the food you get, I’m not feeding you for nothing. And…”  
He remembered something his brother was working on. Not only would it satisfy some of his brother’s demands it may also reveal the demon’s true intentions or delay the completion of the deal.  
“And you will have to wear the… binding thing my brother made for you.”  
It seemed the demon hadn’t expected this. His body visibly stiffened and his eyes took on an irritated look.  
“The binding thing? That could be anything. Do you take me for a fool?”  
Stan racked his brain for a better description of the thing. His brother had just shown it to him three days ago. In front of him, he saw the demon was slowly taking a few steps back.  
“He made a armband, a hand cuff I guess, that would bind you to the shack. Or the nearer vicinity, I guess. Something about reeling you in, if you ever got too far away. Also a… detection rune or something? Whatever, if you really want to get anywhere near the shack you’ll have to wear it or no deal!”  
Maybe that was a bit hasty. If the brat left now he wasn’t sure if he could follow in the darkness and then he would have to return home with empty hands. He could have just ruined it all. Surprisingly the other relaxed a bit at his words, adopting a pensive expression.   
“A binding shackle. So, so. Didn’t think Sixer… I accept. Only if we also add that you can’t lock me in the room anymore, can’t really move around much in there, you know?”  
“And leave you roaming the house? Forget it!”  
“That’s my last offer. Not like I could run away again with the shackle. Take it or leave it.”  
Silence. Both seemed to recap once more what they just negotiated. Bill would have to work in the Mystery Shack, being bound to it by a magical item and being unable to do any harm to the Pines. Stanley would have to provide shelter and food, making sure his brother wasn’t going to kill or harm the demon (let alone himself) and still risk having the demon out and about. Well it seems…  
“It’s a deal, demon brat.”  
They shook on it in the supermarket’s parking lot, not a soul around to witness.

~~~

His face not betraying any of his thoughts, Bill was gleefully remembering the specifics of their final deal. To the Pines it may have seen like a victory, but for Bill it was the perfect trap. Yes, it was a bit of a disadvantage that he would have to wear the binding shackle, but as soon as he amassed a decent amount of his power, it would be child’s play to crack the magic. He definetly knew which spell Sixer was going for, as he himself had shown him the basics long, long ago. Surely the brainiac would have modified it in some way, but even then the core of the charm would stay the same. That was the first obstacle overcome.   
If Fez was any smarter, he would have paid more attention to the wording of Bill’s conditions. He wasn’t bound to the Pines Family per say, but to the one Pines running the Mystery Shack. All it would take was a little fire to burn down the old thing and he would be free of his deal again. After all without the shack, no Pines pursuing the family business. Maybe he didn’t even have to go so far. It was already enough, if the Mystery Shack was owned by someone else or if good old Fez died due to some natural cause. Surely the younger twins would have their own lifes by then, forgetting this mysterious place or being too busy otherwise to take the position. And Sixer sure as hell wouldn’t take over, if he was alive at all at the time.   
The only thing he still had to consider was how he would get a Pines to reveal their (to him) most valuable secret: the binding spell they performed on him. It would take a while, as they sure as hell wouldn’t trust him with anything right now. But with time and patience, the demon was sure he could wear down their resistance. Working in the shack couldn’t be too hard if Ice and Question Mark were anything to go by.   
So until he made any headway in his plans, he would have shelter and food…  
right amidst his enemies.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading and I would be more than happy to get some thoughts or constructive critisism on this. Also I have a tumblr (http://mitzuna.tumblr.com) if you want to shoot me some questions or want to talk to me. I'm also like constantly taking prompts if someone wants to give me one^^ Info's also found on my tumblr.


End file.
